Rory McIlory and Erica Stoll tie the knot in Cong

ROMANTIC VENUE 800-year-old, five-star Ashford Castle was voted the world's best hotel in 2015.

Mark Thornton
Cong

Rory McIllroy has wed Erica Stoll in Cong this evening, and there is a flurry of excitement ahead of a €50,000 firework display at midnight, which is set to light up the south Mayo skies.
The newlyweds are expected to be serenaded by Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran during the celebrations over the coming hours.
Rory and his new American bride Erica chose an evening wedding ceremony, which is popular in the 29-year-old’s native US, and were married at about 6pm.
Fourteen helicopters and a large number of SUVs and limos brought family and friends to Ashford Castle in Cong on Friday and Saturday ahead of the nuptials, with guests numbering several hundred.
Rory (27), who is believed to be worth around €120 million, is making sure guests enjoy high-end dining and pampering in the top-end resort, voted the world’s best hotel in 2015. The venue cost an estimated €250,000, with the four-time Major winner spending a further €100,000 importing a special marquee from Europe.
Celebrities from the worlds of music, film and business worlds, such as Coldplay’s Chris Martin, One Direction star Niall Horan, Fifty Shades of Grey Actor Jamie Dornan and JP McManus are among the guests believed to be inside the 800-year-old castle.
Meanwhile, dozens of teenage girls waiting outside the castle eager to catch a glimpse of One Direction star Niall Horan.
Local people said they were delighted by the exposure and publicity for south Mayo.
Caroline Lydon, in her 40s and from nearby Ballinrobe, said: “Everybody’s dying for a glimpse of the wedding and to spot a famous face. It would be lovely to see them around the village and to make the most of all the area and not just the castle.
“There’s lovely little spots around the village as well. Some of them might take a stroll; it’s very romantic around Cong.
“He could have got marred anywhere in the world and it’s lovely to see someone like that coming to a small village really.”
Caroline said her daughter Laura (14), was far more interested in Niall Horan than Rory McIllroy. She added: “It was easier call her this morning, put it that way.”
Guests took time during the morning to go clay pigeon shooting, while some relatives of the couple were treated to a private boat trip to nearby Inchaghoill Island, which boasts stunning views of Lough Corrib.
Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Man United legend Ryan Giggs were among the guests who arrived on Friday. Martin Kaymer arrived at yesterday (Saturday) morning, while Offaly man Shane Lowry was one of the last celebrity guests to arrive shortly after 2pm.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McKinley had fun interacting with locals outside Pat Cohan’s bar, made famous in The Quiet Man.
Security around Ashford Castle was high, with three separate cordons and a drone defence in place to keep the media at reasonable distance, while dozens of security guards patrolled the perimeter fence around the five-star estate.